HK ban on non-residents now indefinite, as Covid-19 cases soar past 900

By The SUN

Passenger arrivals at HK Airport has dwindled to a few hundreds after the govt banned entry of non-residents

Hong Kong has extended “until further notice” its ban on all non-residents flying in from overseas. The ban, originally imposed for only 14 days from Mar 25, was supposed to last only until tomorrow, Apr. 7.

A government spokesman announced the move late tonight, as the city’s number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 breached the 900-mark.

A total of 24 new cases were reported today, raising Hong Kong’s total tally to 914.

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The new cases include a foreign domestic helper who traveled to Britain with her employers, two young boys whose mother works for a bar in Tsim Sha Tsui, and a musician who played in the same bar.

As in recent days, a majority, or 18 of the new cases had travel history. They included five who were among those airlifted from Peru yesterday, three are international students, and the domestic worker.

Records from the Centre for Health Protection show that the 39-year-old helper whose nationality has not been disclosed, was in the United Kingdom along with her employers, between Mar 11 and Apr 1, when they returned to Hong Kong.

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The helper proceeded to self-quarantine at her employer’s house at Island Crest in Sai Ying Pun on arrival, but developed a sore throat and cough on the same day.

Two sons of a woman who works at All Night Long in Tsim Sha Tsui, aged 3 and 8, also tested positive today, after developing a fever on Mar. 27 at their home in Oi Man Estate in Homantin. Their mother was found infected earlier. Both boys were confined at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yaumatei.

A related case is that of a 56-year-old male employee of the same bar who was tested despite not showing any symptoms. He is now in isolation at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, and his four close contacts put under quarantine.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love.

 

Another bar-related case is that of a 44-year-old musician, who is part of a several bands that played in All Night Long, Insomnia in Central, and Centre Stage and Dusk Till Dawn in Wanchai. He was asymptomatic when tested for the virus.

 

A waitress in this TST bar, now closed, infected her sons, aged 3 and 8

One of the six local cases is a worker at a food outlet of Marks & Spencer in Windsor House, Causeway Bay. The 48-year-old man had a mild runny nose since Mar 23 and worked until Mar 28 but with a face mask, reports said. His wife developed similar symptoms on Mar 27 and tested positive on Apr 2.

The man went without a mask to a farewell karaoke party for a colleague on Mar 25 at the CEO Neway karaoke lounge in Causeway Bay. All the other party-goers were considered close contacts after two of them developed symptoms. They are now in a hospital while the rest are in quarantine centers.

Previously, seven people and a relative of one of them were confirmed infected after visiting a karaoke lounge run by RedMR in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of communicable diseases at the Centre for Health Protection, said people who develop mild symptoms should visit a doctor as soon as possible and avoid going to work.

Among the 18 imported cases are the five locals who had been stranded in Peru. They were among more than 60 residents who had been stranded there and flown back by the Hong Kong government on Sunday.

Meanwhile, six local residents were fined $2,000 each Monday after refusing to break up a game of chess in breach of social-distancing laws. They were the first violators of the city’s ban on public gatherings of more than four people imposed o Mar 29.

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The men, aged 52-68, were chess players and observers caught in Kwai Shing East Estate in Kwai Chung shortly before 4pm on Sunday.

As of this writing, the global tally of Covid-19 cases approached 1.3 million with 70,000 deaths and nearly 262 recovered.

The tally in the United States climbed to nearly 350,000 cases and more than 9.600 deaths. Spain followed with more than 135,000 cases and over 13,000 deaths.

The death toll in Italy approached 16,000 from a tally of close to 130,000 infected with the coronavirus.

In the Philippines, the number of cases reached 3,660 while the death toll was 163.

 

Airline crew are exempted on the ban on non-residents, but not a lot of them fly into HK now

Under the travel restrictions imposed by Hong Kong on Mar 25 which have now been extended indefinitely, the following rules apply:

   • All non-Hong Kong residents coming from overseas countries and regions by plane will be denied entry to Hong Kong;
     • Non-Hong Kong residents coming from the Mainland, Macao and Taiwan will be denied entry to Hong Kong if they have been to any overseas countries and regions in the past 14 days;
     • All transit services at Hong Kong International Airport will be suspended; and
     • All travellers coming from Macau and Taiwan, including Hong Kong and non-Hong Kong residents, will be subject to a 14-day compulsory quarantine, which is the same as the arrangements for people entering Hong Kong from the Mainland.

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Police leave empty-handed after raid on City Hall gamblers

By Vir B. Lumicao

Photo beside the bus stop outside City Hall shows gamblers placing bets of between $200-$500 per game

Hong Kong police launched a surprise raid on illegal gamblers near a bus stop beside City Hall in Edinburgh Place last Saturday, Apr 4, but left the place empty-handed.

The Police Public Relations Branch said the force received information around 3pm that groups of migrant workers were illegally gambling with playing cards near the stop for bus 13 at City Hall.

But when officers arrived, the groups of workers betting on the card games as well as the South Asian bankers scampered, said Filipino migrants who saw the incident.

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“There was no illegal gambling when the officers arrived. No one was arrested,” a PPRB spokeswoman said on Apr 5.

In a recent statement, the Hong Kong Police said that it “has spared no effort in combating illegal gambling activities and has been monitoring such illegal activities for enforcement.” 

However, the illegal betting in Central continued, even after the Consulate issued an advisory on Mar 4 against the activity, and warned of the stiff penalties that await offenders.

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The PCG issued the warning after the police called its attention to groups of Filipino workers who were illegally gambling in various areas in Central.

According to Consul General Raly Tejada, he personally visited the notorious site after the warning was put up to plead with the Filipinos gambling there to stop, but was ignored.

The footpath around City Hall has been roped off, but gamblers simply squat on the area beside it.

He was told afterwards that a syndicate run by a group of Filipinos and South Asians could be behind the proliferation of illegal gambling in the area.

A video taken on Mar 15 showed workers milling around three groups of gamblers beside the Bus 13 stop. The bankers were South Asian men who were being assisted by Filipinas. Other South Asian men mixed with kibitzers and served as lookouts.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love.

Bets laid on the playing mat ranged from $200 to $500 and money changed hands quickly.

A walk around Central recently showed groups of workers also gambling at another hotspot, the vicinity of the HSBC headquarters along Queen’s Road and Des Voeux Road.

Similar groups could also be seen playing cards for small bets along a footbridge linking Chater Garden in Central and Queensway Plaza in Admiralty.

This time, however, the card or bingo players were complying with the four-to-a-group rule by the government to help stop the coronavirus spread.

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Scourge of our time

By Daisy Catherine L. Mandap

What a difference a month makes. If someone told me last month that the novel coronavirus would leave the entire world on bended knees I would have thought that person crazy.

That time, Covid-19 was something thought of as just another disease that started in China, and would dissipate as soon as temperatures rose – much like the way Sars did 17 years ago.

We in Hong Kong were more naturally wary, as we still remember the fear and the pain brought on by Sars. We were the epicenter then, like Wuhan was for the coronavirus.

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We took precautions guided by that grim experience, but as it turns out now, not nearly well enough.

Once again an unseen enemy, a new, more ferocious virus, is just outside our door. It is knocking, but we are best advised to stay indoors. Go out only if you must, and always arm yourself, not with a gun, but with a mask and a hand sanitizer.

Not even in our wildest dreams did it cross our minds that we could be fighting a one-sided battle with an enemy that moves like the wind, strikes like a knife, and is not afraid of anyone, be it a prime minister, a king-in-waiting, or a Hollywood star.

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While we were debating whether to lock our borders with China, or shut offices or schools, the enemy decided to move elsewhere.

Down came dozens of tourists aboard two luxury cruise ships in Japan and the United States. At the same time, hundreds of people belonging to a secretive sect in South Korea were virtually mowed down, one after another.

Without a warning, it again reared its deadly head in Europe. First destination was Italy, where the elderly became its easy prey. By the hundreds they fell, that in just about two weeks, the death toll had passed 10,000, a grim reminder that this enemy knows no mercy.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love.

Then it swooped on the mighty countries that were once protagonists in many of the world’s epic battles.

First, Spain, then France, Netherlands, Germany, and finally, the United Kingdom, where the coronavirus lingered to make a point.

Both the country’s prime minister and the second-in-line to the throne were stricken, with neither knowing where the blow had come from.

The onslaught continued, until the high-and-mighty, the one claiming to be the remaining superpower in the world, has been brought to its knees. Its president, who boasted just a few days ago that the United States would be back on track in a matter of days, has completely changed his tune.

Yes, he admits, the virus could kill as many as 100,000 Americans, and this could well be two million if we didn’t take more stringent measures now, like locking up everybody in their homes for another full month, until the enemy withdraws.

In Britain and other more cautious countries, the forecast for when citizens might be allowed to emerge from beneath the trenches is longer, like another six months, even longer.

Just about anywhere, the picture is grim. More frighteningly so in countries which do not have much to spare in terms of funds and other resources, or lack officials who appreciate the danger that stares them in the face, as the Philippines.

Hong Kong, Singapore or even China are not off the hook, either. They may have managed to stave off the enemy because they were better prepared from the Sars experience, but they, too, now face the prospect of squaring off with it again, after it has piggybacked on many of their residents arriving from overseas.

For many of us, the battle for survival continues. Not only in terms of keeping our mortal bodies alive, but also in ensuring we get to hold on to our jobs, our security, and our sanity.

We may be in this for the long haul, but if we do as we’re told by the experts, we will survive. Stay safe, healthy and wise. Remain indoors as much as possible. If all else fails, pray.

We have to believe — that this, too, shall pass.

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Another bar staff infected as Pinay discharged from hospital

By The SUN

Tjhe Wanchai bar was closed after all its staff were taken to a quarantine center following the outbreak

A quarantined employee of Dusk Till Dawn bar in Wanchai was one of 28 new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Sunday, Apr. 5, raising the total tally for Hong Kong to 891. Of this number, 206 have been discharged after recovery.

The male staff was asymptomatic, but was tested while confined to a quarantine center where around 120 other people were taken, after a mass outbreak in the bar and three others where a Filipino band had played regularly.

Another male patient linked to the so-called bar cluster was also reported among the new cases.

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However, as in the past two weeks, an overwhelming number of the new cases involved Hong Kong residents who had just returned from overseas. Of the 28 confirmed cases, 23 had traveled recently. Thirteen are students returning from their schools abroad.

On Saturday, Apr 4, another Filipina domestic helper was discharged from hospital after recovering from Covid-19, said a statement from the Consulate. She was the third to be discharged in two days.

On Apr 2, two other Filipinos were also reported as having been discharged, including Jinkee Alhambra, a domestic worker who bravely chronicled her battle with the disease on her Facebook page. Alhambra posted a picture of her leaving the hospital the day before.

Jinkee Alhambra happily proclaims victory over Covid-19 before leaving the hospital

Sixteen Filipinos are reportedly still being treated for the disease, while a total of seven have recovered, and been sent home.

The tally does not seem updated, however, as many of the Filipino musicians and staff involved in the bar cluster have not been included.

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On Friday, a 52-year-old Filipina quarantined at Chung King Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui tested positive, two days after returning from a vacation in Manila. Her case was also not reported to the Consulate.

Meanwhile, more than 120 people who work at Shek Kip Mei police station have been moved to a quarantine center after two police officers were found infected with the virus, the latest being a 46-year-old policeman who tested positive on Apr 4.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love.

Health officials say everyone in the station was considered as a close contact of the two officers. Three of them reportedly showed symptoms so they were taken to a hospital for testing.

More tests are also being conducted on those who came near a 93-year-old male patient at Pok Oi Hospital who was found infected with Covid-19 after being discharged. It’s now believed he was infected by a confirmed patient who was placed in a bed about 1.8 meters away from the elderly man. 

The elderly patient is now in serious condition at Tuen Mun Hospital.

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Migrant workers urged to observe social distancing, safeguard their rights

By Vir B. Lumicao

Migrant leaders call on workers to heed social distancing rules amid a crowded footbridge

Filipino migrant leaders have urged fellow workers to stay healthy and support Hong Kong’s social distancing protocol, as they accused the government of singling them out as agents of the contagion.

The activists also reminded Filipino helpers who huddled in groups of four in the Chater Road subway on Sunday, Apr 5, to be aware of their labor rights amid the Labour Department’s appeal to them to spend their rest day in their employers’ homes.

Eman Villanueva, chairman of Bayan Hong Kong and Macau, spoke briefly to the workers as Dolores Balladares of United Filipinos in Hong Kong led a group in handing out leaflets, surgical masks and sanitizers as protection from the virus.

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The “Care for Domestic Workers” event was also carried out before noon at the Mong Kok Footbridge and at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, both favorite hangouts of mainly Indonesian maids on Sundays.

The outreach was a joint project of the Mission for Migrant Workers, Asian Migrants Coordinating Body and the office of Legislative Councilor Fernando Cheung.

Villanueva, an AMCB spokesman, warned the workers to beware of employers who use the stay-home call as a reason to let their helpers work on their rest day.

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“Mali po iyon, nilalabag ang ating karapatan na one rest day per week. Kapag kayo po ay (hindi binigyan) ng one rest day per week, ipaabot nyo sa aming kaalaman, puwede namin kayong tulungan,” Villanueva said.

“Iyan po ay criminal offense, violation po iyan ng Labour Ordinance. Hindi po iyan simpleng paglabag, ito ay criminal offense,” he emphasized.

He reminded the helpers that each time there was an outbreak, the host government turned its sights on OFWs, as if they brought the disease with them.

Villanueva says Filipino domestic workers are wrongly accused of bringing home the disease with them

“Pero sa totoo, sa record ng Hong Kong mismo, yung mga Pilipino ang nahawa ng mga employer. So, hindi tayo ang nagkakalat, tayo ang nakakakuha pero pinalalabas ng Hong Kong government na para bang tayo ang nagkakalat,” Villanueva said.

About 20 foreign domestic workers have tested positive for Covid-19 in Hong Kong, all of them Filipinos. All except four who were found infected after arriving from Manila, caught the virus in their employers’ homes.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love.

Villanueva added that while there is discrimination, workers on their day off should abide by the rule of gathering in groups of no more than four so they don’t violate the law.

He lamented that the government remembered migrants when asking for sacrifices, such as staying at home on their rest days, but excluded them from benefits such as the $10,000 financial assistance given to residents.

Balladares, meanwhile, advised the workers to safeguard their health so that there would be no reason for locals to accuse them of being filthy and likely carriers of disease.

In an interview, Balladares and another migrant leader, Sheila Tebia of Gabriela Hong Kong, have said that they continue to receive reports of helpers being fired by their employers who accuse them of bringing the virus with them after taking their day off.

In one incident, Balladares said, a worker was dismissed by her local employer simply because she was seen taking various pills.

Tebia said there were workers who were told to wear plastic raincoats throughout their day off, supposedly to prevent them from catching the virus, then bringing it back home with them.

Villanueva said the employers are treating the workers wrongly because they send them out to the market during weekdays, but prevent them from going out on Sundays, as if they are more in danger of getting ill when with their friends.

Cheung did not arrive for the event either in Mongkok or in Central, but sent a staff member who brought the masks and sanitizers that were given away.

 

Indonesians Eni and Erwiana (middle two) were among the speakers

The Filcom leaders were joined by Johannie Tong from the Mission; Eni Lestari, chairperson of International Migrants Alliance; and former abuse victim Erwiana Sulistyaningsih who now volunteers at the Mission.

The three led the distribution of social distancing leaflets, masks and sanitizers in Mongkok. The two Indonesian activists later left for Causeway Bay to engage their compatriots on Victoria Park.

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